Pokemon - Scientia Potentia Est - Filial Piety
by JPG816
Summary: A sequel to /s/10496524/1/Pokemon-Combat-College-An-Exchange-of-Vows . Shifts focus to Kamil and Inari Hachiko, and how they cope with the burden of their father's legacy as a Pro-Leaguer.
1. Chapter 1

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Packing up to travel was a pain in the ass, but Kamil Hachiko was used to it after having to go back and forth from Unova and Kanto so many times in a hectic but worthwhile effort to maintain both his reputation as a Counselor for Collegiate Battlers as well as his family ties with his sister who still studied at the Pokemon Combat College.

"Let's see," he muttered as he checked his list mentally. "Training regiment notebook, more old tapes of father, encrypted case studies..."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Hachiko. I see you're packing for yet another trip." An older, middle-aged Xatu stood in the doorway of Kamil's office, watching the normally somber mon pack with a rarely seen excitement in his normally calm movements.

Still adjusting his button-up long-sleeved shirt, the Absol turned to his totemic avian friend and offered a brief smile. "Sorry Samuel. Was invited to a little shindig down in Johto."

The bespectacled fellow faculty furrowed his brow, before nodding. "Right. My apologies, the date came up so quickly. Wish your sister a happy birthday for me, and best of luck to you."

"What's in the cards and crystal ball for me, dare I ask?" Kamil grinned at his coworker Professor of proper psychic ethics, fully anticipating his response.

"You know I try to avoid divination. Stuff gets in the way of the path people make for themselves."

"Same as always. That always lifts my spirits." With that, Kamil grabbed his briefcase and rolling backpack luggage, and whistled as he strode down to the airport.

As the sun started to follow suit of the student body and retire for the day, the young Celebi in her nurse intern scrubs uniform grumbled as she applied ointment to her Flareon lover's forehead yet again this week right outside the gym doors. "I told you you'd get sloppy without taking a break."

Inari returned the grumbling, poking tenderly at the bruises she had given herself with that rough landing. "You know I can't stop, Galiana. I need to train for-."

"You'll do fine for next week. I know this anniversary is important to you, but remember you're important to the anniversary, as well as your big brother, and me!" Galiana poked at Inari's bruised arm with each thing the Flareon was important to. "After all these years, you still push yourself too much!"

Inari winced. The bruises hurt less than the words. She hesitated, hushing up for a moment, before finding the word. " . . . sorry."

Galiana took a deep breath. "I can't say how important your father should or shouldn't be to you. But I can say how important you should be to yourself. Stop forgetting that, okay? Besides, Kamil is going to ask about these abrasions."

"Don't remind me."

"I will keep reminding you until you stop straining yourself!"

"And then I'll have to do this!" Inari suddenly leaned forward and smooched Galiana on the lips, to which the Celebi could only stutter out her frustration.

"Incorrigible!" Her flustered fury lasted only a brief fleeting moment, before the forest fairy smooched her back. "Just relax a bit, okay?"

The plane trip would stop over in Kanto for a day or two before heading to Johto. The extra landing would be worth it to catch up with his little sister and her 'best friend'.

Kamil chuckled to himself at the thinly veiled euphemism while brushing his white mane out of the way of his glasses as he studied his itinerary. The bond was clear as day to everyone who knew the couple, even if Inari still got ridiculously defensive and flustered whenever it was joked about.

He hoped she never lost that little spark of innocence. Dad would've been proud.

Kamil chuckled quietly at his own musings. Alexander "Master of Disaster" Hachiko was a great man on and off the battlefield. Even given the four short year he had known his father personally, the eye-patch wearing Absol certainly didn't act like a big shot celebrity around his toddler son.

The Absol relaxed and played back what little memories he could recollect - ones so old, he was surprised they weren't in black and white. Not that their monochrome fur helped the mental images any.

For the 10th anniversary, a 14-year old Kamil gave a speech honoring the great fighter about how his sponsors and managers had complained to him that his father was horrible about keeping appointments after the young Kamil was born. He remembered how his father had told him that the people he was talking to on his cell-phone were "evil little Drifloons coming to snatch him away" before chasing him with his arms wiggling like tendrils, as the Hachiko family shared a picnic in a clearing in the middle of the Viridian Forest.

Inari's 20th birthday also signified their father's last battle, and the day he passed. The now-grown Absol took a moment to clean his specs.

"Can't be helped," he whispered.

Every 10 years since Alexander's passing was marked by a ceremony that the League hosted for their Hall-of-Fame father - he was a big money-making name after all. This year, Inari would join in with more than a simple kata-form exhibition. Brother and sister would be teaming up to face actual Hall-of-Fame professional battlers currently in the League.

It sounded like a privilege to most people, and it really was a privilege. But nevertheless, it was a performance. Kamil closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he felt his heart skip a beat.

He hoped Inari was ready. He hoped he was ready.

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	2. Chapter 2

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"Shh. Calm down."

"I'm fine." Inari nearly bit her tongue with how quickly she snapped the words out.

"Your tail keeps trying to clutch at my leg. You're nervous." Galiana squeezed Inari's arm a bit tighter. "It's just your brother. Besides, it's already hot enough with all these people waiting for their friends and family. Don't make this airport crowd hotter than it already is."

The Flareon could only grumble as she readjusted her numb feet.

"Pardon ladies, but I'm looking for a cute Flareon with face-eating fangs and her lovely fiancée." All it took was the "cute" for Inari to turn and glare daggers at the third voice - which belonged to a tall Absol behind them.

"Goddammit, I HATE you," she spat at Kamil, before tightly embracing him in a rib-crushing bear-hug.

Galiana simply watched, attempting to cover her giggling grin. "At least you didn't actually punch him like you did last time."

Kamil could only laugh heartily, barely keeping himself in check as he hugged his little sister back. "And how have you been, Galiana? Keeping my little sis out of trouble? Or has she been dragging you along into her late night training regime?"

Galiana crossed her arms as she glared at the smug Absol, barely hiding her own smirk. "Oh, a little bit of column A, a little bit of column B. But we all know who she takes after, don't we?"

Kamil snickered at Inari's grumbling. It was true - when they were kids, the two would train like there was no tomorrow for the dream of following their father. Even before Inari could walk, she would crawl over and watch her brother train - it was actually how she ended up learning to walk.

Inari finally let go of her older brother. "So what have you been up to?"

Kamil started off towards a nearby coffee shop for a pick-me-up. "Oh, same old same old. Making steady progress on my thesis about personality traits that are strongly correlated with success for pro-leaguers."

Inari stared blankly - to which Galiana simply smiled, and mockingly whispered to the dumbfounded Inari. "He means he's studying about 'what makes a successful battler.'"

"Shut up. I knew that."

Kamil rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, still tend to carry that around - sometimes it feels like I have to be professional every waking moment.

"It's okay. I know how that feels."

The rest of the plane trip was rather uneventful, but the atmosphere made it feel like the intense waiting during the calm before a storm.

Galiana could only watch as Kamil stared pensively at a notepad and occasionally scribbled notes on his tablet. Meanwhile, Inari's leg bounced with more jitters than usual - she never was good at sitting still, but Galiana noticed there was something more than that. Her gaze wasn't wandering as it normally did, and for a moment, she wondered if she would actually set the seat in front of her ablaze with that stare alone. How bad could the day be, she pondered to herself.

As they touched down, Kamil donned his black shades and started down the steps. The caring fairy had observed when he put those on - he wore them in business meetings or when meeting with strangers - in short, when he had to hide a part of him.

"Hey, Kamil - is it really going to be that bad?"

Kamil turned his head to Galiana briefly. It was hard to read his face, but the slothfulness of his motions and Inari's unnaturally militaristic posture told her everything she needed to know.

As the plane door slid open for everyone to exit, they were blinded by a series of flashes.

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	3. Chapter 3

"Kamil Hachiko, what plans do you have for the anniversary of your father's final battle?" "Will Ms. Inari also be competing this year?" "Do you have any inspiring words for the children watching at home?" "Have you started dating anyone, Kamil?" "Do either of you have any role models in the Pro-League ranks?" "How do you respond to allegations of the both of you riding on the legacy of your father?"

The questions seemed endless. Even the stoic Absol's shoulders stiffened at the barrage. Inari glowered at the seemingly endless sea of reporters, keeping her tongue pinned between her teeth. But then came the straw that broke the Camerupt's back.

"Is there any truth to the rumor of Inari coming out of the clo-"

Inari lunged forward as Galiana barely caught her around the arms, nearly being dragged along with the Flareon. And then Kamil stepped forward, his cold stare hidden by the shades. Thank goodness he was prepared for such a question - Inari knew that look even with the shades. A look that could make grown men piss their pants and even cause trained battlers to err on the side of caution.

"What does it matter to you?" The reporters quickly quieted as Kamil glanced at every single one of them near the steps, making sure to give every single face a stern look as he slowly descended from the plane. "What does it matter who she loves?"

An oblivious Stunfisk reporter jotted down notes, completely ignorant of the angered Absol. Kamil rectified the lack of a response quickly as he slowly, but firmly pushed down the notepad, staring into the pupils of the flatfish as he asked the questions, "What should it matter to the world? What should it matter to people who look up to her?"

He loomed over the spineless Stunfisk, his fins floundering as he attempted to keep any sort of grip on his notepad. "And why should you suffocate my sister with your propaganda. Spewing. Bullshit?"

All the while, Inari could only watch, be-stilled and bewildered by this suddenly appearing wrath within her brother. Kamil rarely rose his voice and rarely was ever so aggressive. Even if he wasn't raising his claws yet, the Absol was a force to be reckoned with when calm - she pitied the mons who really crossed him.

She shook her head. She couldn't let Kamil do it on her behalf. The Flareon looked back to Galiana and nodded, before looking to her elder brother. "Kamil. It's okay. Forget them. We have an appointment." She offered a smile - a fake one, but a damned high-quality fake.

Kamil glanced back to Inari. Then back to the Stunfisk. "Cover the event, but try and frame my sister in one of your stupid hot topic celebrity debates again, and I will take appropriate legal procedures against whatever news station airs such garbage." He backed off. Thankfully, he hadn't actually laid a hand on anyone yet.

He glanced to his little sister with a hint of guilt. "Sorry. I shouldn't have jumped in on your behalf like that."

Inari smirked at him. "Older brother's got a temper, who knew? Maybe I should have recorded it."

"You do that, and I'll make you work double in our next sparring section."

"Only if you can keep up with me."

A irate, but still polite ahem made itself heard from behind them, as the Celebi tapped her foot impatiently.

"Hate to interrupt, but Kamil, we're to meet with one of your father's colleagues in 30 minutes. Remember?"

"Right, right. Auntie Betty will be displeased if we make her wait." The Absol quickly started off towards the airport interior, talking as they walked.

"Wait, 'Auntie' Betty?" Galiana stared at Inari for an explanation.

"Better known as Burning Betty the Blazing Bombshell. She's an Arcanine and was one of father's teammates."

Kamil chuckled. "Mother didn't speak highly of her. Tended to rant about how she flirted too much with father."

Inari smirked, mischief dancing on her lips as she prodded Kamil in the still-tense shoulder. "Remember ten years ago? She got all touchy feely on you as she spoke about how you were the spitting image of him?"

Kamil grimaced, eliciting a giggle from Inari. Galiana politely covered her mouth as well, as she too giggled at the mental image of Kamil getting ruffled over a woman flirting with him. "Y-you must have been imagining things." He removed his shades and polished them, awkwardly staring dead ahead.


	4. Chapter 4

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Galiana wasn't sure what to expect from Aunt Betty. She sounded like a nice lady. Loving, friendly, outgoing - to hear Inari and Kamil speak of her. She hadn't quite possibly considered there was too much of a good thing.

"Missed you so much, Kamil, my boyo!" The Arcanine in pro-wrestling attire, complete with magenta sports top and tight fitting workout boy shorts, brimmed with confidence and affection, picking up the normally impossible-to-ruffle Kamil in an embrace that looked like it could make a Fighting-type hedge with second thoughts.

"Nice to see you too, Auntie Betty. Need to breathe. Please," he gasped out, looking quite claustrophobic in the easily six-and-a-half foot tall Arcanine's arms.

Galiana barely managed to stifle her giggles. It was rare to watch the seemingly ever-calm Absol in unavoidably embarrassing situations. Thankfully, they weren't in a really public area, just a small training stadium in Violet City.

However, as Galiana glanced to the side, she noticed Inari was unusually stiff in her posture, gazing off into space.

_"You okay?"_

Inari's eyes flitted back to Galiana. _"Just...jet-lagged."_

_"From an hour flight? You're not tired, something's bugging you."_

Before Inari could respond, she was engulfed in a flash of orange fur. "And here's the little fluffy firebrand fighter! You've grown so much, dear!" Auntie Betty scooped up the Firefluff and hugged her tight, squeezing an awkward, polite smile out of Inari, before setting her back down.

"G-good to see you too, Auntie Betty."

"And who's this?" She smiled politely to Galiana, sitting down on her haunches to look her in the eye and get down to her level.

"Galiana," the Celebi managed to stammer out, before nodding politely. "Inari's..." The forest fairy bit her lip, trying to think of a polite way of saying it.

The Arcanine laughed heartily and slapped Galiana on the back with her massive palm, inadvertently knocking the wind out of her. "Oh, you're lezzybeans! It's about time Inari burned down the closet door!"

Inari's ears wilted in stark horror at the blunt statement, and Galiana quickly crossed her arms over herself, as if she were bared to all.

But all Kamil did was smile at the pair knowingly. "She knew. No one will judge you here. It's just another thing that makes you two ladies yourselves."

Galiana smiled sheepishly and hugged Inari close. The Flareon closed her eyes, letting out a slow breath, muttering under her breath.

Their Arcanine Aunt smiled, watching Inari keep in control. "You two have raised yourselves so well. Your father would be so proud." She crossed her arms as she looked over the siblings, beaming with pride. "I know the media's like a swarm of ants - you can't stomp 'em all out. But I think you wear your father's name well!"

Kamil and Inari exchanged glances of pride as Galiana hugged the both of them. "Told you two there was nothing to worry about!"

"Not quite. You two still have a show to put on later this week." The Arcanine's face soured as she adopted a colder tone, befit for official league business. "Kamil, Inari, you two will be facing me and my partner - and we won't be pulling punches." She leaned against the wall separating them from the stadium stands. "I was against the idea, bu-"

Inari snorted. "You kidding me? I've been looking forward to this." Ignoring Kamil's glance to remind her of respect for elders, she stepped forward challenging. "I want to show the world that we aren't just our father's kids. We're a lot stronger than that."

Kamil stepped forward, as Galiana winced at Inari's blunt attitude. "My apologies, Aunt Betty - we've had a hard day, Inari's just-"

"Inari's a grown woman who can speak for herself, Kamil." She smiles at him. "I appreciate you wanting to be respectful, but I can also appreciate her honesty." She leans over towards Inari, her towering form looming over her. "And I want - and I do mean 'want' - to see you make good on your word, you hear that, hun?"

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	5. Chapter 5

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Two days of practically non-stop training, minimum breaks between each exercise or spar, and the Hachiko siblings were still giving each other hell over the upcoming event.

Kamil adjusted his open-fingered gloves, allowing his black claws to extend from his fingertips, garbed in a white tanktop and slacks, loose-fitting enough to hide his lean, muscled form that he kept hidden so often. The emblem of a falling meteorite signified their duo's name - "Blazing Omen," an obvious choice given their respective species. He settled into a loose stance - no particular fighting stance adapted yet as he observed his sister from across the battlefield. "Whenever you're ready, Inari."

The Flareon rolled her shoulders and neck, wearing her usual sleeveless red and yellow battle uniform, a belt with a single swirling Toxic Orb binding her waist. Her bound tail twitched behind her dangerously, as she assumed her usual sprinters stance to begin the battle among the evenly sized artificial boulders. "Don't you dare hold back."

Kamil grinned. "You're much too old and tough for me to do that."

A narrowed glare. "Don't give me that."

An arched eyebrow. "Give you what?"

"That load of bull!" Before Kamil return a retort, an explosive burst of flame launched Inari forward as a living fireball, rocketing towards Kamil.

To which, he only smirked from atop his boulder perch, holding out his hand to execute "Mean Look," forming two beach-ball sized black orbs that seemed to engulf the light within the local area, a faint red glow emanating from the center, like floating eyeballs.

"How stupid do you think I am to keep falling for that!?" Inari slowed slightly as she banked towards a boulder to the side, kicking off it and rocketing at Kamil from an angle.

"Not stupid at all! Just predictably logical!" Kamil grinned with devilish intent as he back-flipped off of the boulder out of the way. The red cores of an orb flared with what appeared to be red lighting, streaking towards the Flareon projectile.

It couldn't be Kamil's patented checkmate tactical finish. Not yet. She wouldn't let him take the lead so early. She closed her eyes in mid-air and cut the power on her afterburners, allowing the Punishment to strike her down. Gravity took precedence as she started to fall toward the earth, the pain receptors on her body tingling - like she was being prodded with hand-buzzers all of her body.

"Smart move." Kamil backed up as he observed Inari's slowly blooming strategies, keeping his face solidified in a stoic stone mask. She had learned from her last encounter with his Punishment attack. Swinging his claws in a methodical fever, the wind itself seemed to whip around the Absol in a mirrored frenzied state, preparing for the battle-ending strike, Razor Wind.

As the tingling vanished, Inari closed her eyes to focus as she flared up her afterburners. She bum-rushed Kamil once more with a rocketing assault, both hands at the ready for Flare Blitz, her focus searing through her glare, her sights set on victory.

The two fighters rushed each other. Inari swiped Kamil's claw strike out of the air with deft precision, and with her fist channeling her radiant fire, she smashed him across his right eye, sending him careening and backpedaling onto his rump with a black eye and injured pride.

But with that same cheeky smirk, he looked up at his little sister, with her fists still ablaze. "...almost. So close." BZRAP. The forgotten, second "Mean Look" eyeball channeled the full force of Punishment into her.

"Son of a...!"

Inari collapsed to all fours - the flame power she had channeled for the Flare Blitz was causing every nerve ending on her body to short out, and she clenched her teeth together, refusing to give in to that reflexive urge to scream. She replaced it with a primal cry, as she prepared to strike the ground for a counter-attack.

_"Enough!" _The telepathic command rang within both minds, Kamil pushing himself to sit up to look up at the forest fairy source, who had been tending their wounds for each training session without so much as a peep. Galiana sucked in deep breaths, and glared daggers at both of the siblings. "You BOTH need to take a time out and a break."

"Galiana, I've told you-"

Galiana shifted her glare to just Inari - and as steely-nerved as the Flareon could be, her ears folded and wilted at the withering glare. The forest fairy sucked in one more deep breath.

"I don't know what to do. I'm done. I can't keep watching you kill yourself over this stupid event."

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	6. Chapter 6

Hey - author here, just wanted to let you know that the bolded requests to review aren't to guilt-trip or anything - sorry if they seemed that way. Just that reviews tend to let me see what I can do better, y'know?

...also I relish the attention, BUT I DIGRESS.

They serve as reminders to review if there's something you like or you think there's something that could be improved. Even if this is fanfiction, I try to take writing seriously!

**So uh, please review and critique!**

The smooth sounds of jazz floated through the calming atmosphere of the Spinny-Mix Juice Bar and Café, and the hushed bustle of various conversations made sure the Celebi's quiet fuming was left well enough alone for the moment.

When Kamil entered the cafe, he nodded politely and put up a defensive hand to let the Spinda barista know he wasn't here to order. The barista jived his way back to mixing drinks for the other customers, as the white-maned scholar took a seat beside the Celebi, her gaze fixated on her cup of coffee.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You know, Inari was mumbling those same two words when you ran off like that. And honestly, those are the words in my heart too." The Absol reached over and patted the Celebi on her back, rubbing her shoulder gently.

The Celebi continued staring into her coffee. After some hesitation, she glanced at the Absol. "What was your father like, Kamil?"

Slightly taken aback by the out-of-the-blue inquiry, Kamil rubbed his chin, before leaning back in the cushy seat of the cafe, crossing his arms slowly as he thought about the question. "Inari probably told you all about the great battler he was, huh?" At Galiana's tired nod, he chuckled. "Mother complained when he'd cancel press conferences just to spend time with us - as did his sponsors, his manager...his greatness came with a great burden.

"Reporters always asked me and mom stupid stuff about him. Stuff like 'how many hours does he train a day?' and 'what does he eat?' and 'are you going to grow up like your father, Kamil?'" He shook his head. "People saw him as a celebrity. I saw him as a father. My father. Our father.

"Even if it wasn't my true calling, I stay connected with my heritage for events like this. Even if I hate how people think of us like the rotten spoiled celebrity kids, I cherish his legacy in the forms it has taken - Inari and the footsteps she follows."

"But that burden's hurting Inari. And it's hurting me watching her try so hard."

"You know she'd find a way to hurt herself anyway." When Galiana responded to his chuckling with a glare, he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Too soon? But that's who Inari is." With a somber sigh and smile, he continued. "She wants to deserve the love she gets. And maybe that's something you'll have to shoulder with her for a long time - maybe even til death."

Galiana could feel the burning sensation in her eyes. She clenched her fists and shook her head slowly. "She's too cruel to herself."

"It runs in the family. I've been keeping something from Inari for a couple years, but father was a perfectionist too." He smiled. "Mother would give him the same lecture on watching out for himself. It's why mother never really wanted us to be battlers. There's no point in battling if we're not giving it 110%."

"I...want her to be happy with herself, with where she's at."

"I think that's the thing. She's happiest when she's able to shoot for a goal that simply can't be obtained - where she doesn't have to hold back anything."

Galiana shook her head. "They do say 'if you love something so much, set it free...'"

Kamil smiled, and set his hand on Galiana's shoulder. "Sometimes what you set free doesn't want to be set free. Sometimes the couple is happiest when caged by the silly and screwed up prison they share."

Galiana set down her cup with a small rattle from the force, shooting Kamil a bemused glance. "What does that even mean?"

"A paradoxical prison - because you two are committed to each other, you're both bound to not only help each other, but be helped by each other. Inari can push herself further and harder than ever before, because she knows you're there to catch her. And don't forget all those times Inari's beaten others halfway to the hospital because they looked at you funny - it's her way of showing you affection."

Galiana stifled a giggle, before letting it ring out crystal clear through the area. Kamil crossed his arms and smiled at the Celebi. The two were made for each other - one was an impulsive, brash and bold fighter, the other was a thoughtful, timid and demure healer. Like two sides of the same coin.

The Celebi's laughter soon faded. She smiled sadly. "Still...wish she wasn't quite so careless - you see what it's doing to her, right?"

Suddenly, there was a small murmur as everyone stared out at the empty night sky outside the cafe, as a small firey streak flew across it. "Galiana! Where are you!?"

Kamil set a hand on the forest fae's shoulder. "If it's that hard for you to stomach, you should talk to her, heart-to-heart."

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	7. Chapter 7

Hey - sorry all, college was getting in the way of me writing anything - this one's actually a bit old, but I'll get on chapter 8 soon. Promise. Please remember to comment and review! And thanks to those of you who already have or will review soon!

The exhausted Flareon touched down and dropped to all fours at the base of Mt. Silver, the border between Kanto and Johto.

How many hours had she searched for Galiana?

How much pain had she caused Galiana with this stupid crusade?

Was being the best worth that much to her? Worth more than Galiana?

Galiana. Galiana. Galiana. With each mention of her name, she smashed the mountain wall with her bare fists, sobbing and biting her tongue to focus on something other than the burning in her eyes. It was only seconds before she cracked, reared back and cried out into the night sky, sending flocks of Noctowl and Zubat scattering in a panic.

"Galiana. I'm sorry. So sorry. God dammit." She buried her face into the palm of one of her hands, the blood running between her fingers from her knuckles. She smeared her face as she tried to wipe the steaming, angry tears.

So stupid. So so stupid. So stubbornly stupid. With her other hand, she balled it into a flaming fist and slammed it into the mountain again and again and again. "Son of a bitch! Goddammit! I hate this!" Slowing to another defeated silence, she laid her forehead to rest on the mountain before her, and sobbed. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, Fluffybutt. I thought you weren't going to let your little missy cry."

Inari looked up to find the source of that motherly voice. The Arcanine stepped out of her jalopy of a Jeep with a med-kit - the sort one would find in a gymnasium for students being stupid.

"I'm caught between two dreams. Her's and mine. And I don't know which goddamned dream is the one I want more."

"No you ain't. Y'all are fighting for the same dream in different ways. And gotta say, she's right, hun." She pauses for the inevitable scowl she knew Inari would react with, calmly holding up her paws as she had in years past. "Pokemon are more like machines than we care to admit. We rust if we're not used and wear out and break down if we are used too much."

"No prizes for guessing which I am?" The Flareon mumbled, as Auntie started cleaning the fresh wounds she had made on herself.

"It's what makes you...you." The towering Arcanine finished applying the ointment-slathered bandages, before slapping Inari on the back with all of her usual camraderie, causing the Flareon to lurch forward. As Betty kept her hand there, she continued, rubbing Inari's back gently. "She wants your happiness too, y'know that?"

"I want her's too. And I don't want her to cry, but I don't want to give up on my wants either..."

"Y'know, hun, your father wanted it too. Your happiness."

Inari's gaze snapped to her Aunt's somber smile, staring at it, studying it intently, baffled by the seemingly simple words. "What do you mean?" She leaned closer, balling her bandaged fists to brace herself.

"He told all of his teammates to make sure you were happy with your path in life - to guide you in growing up to be a woman who would succeed in whatever road she took to her goal. Never to let you be bound by anyone's will but your own." She laughed. "He also said 'but wouldn't it be awesome if I could battle Inari one day, as an old grampa? Her all grown up and ready to rock with her old man?'"

Inari's eyes misted over as she pursed her lips, forcing them shut for the moment, not knowing how to respond.

Auntie Betty approached with a gentle smile. "Kamil's probably drilled this into your head. But your father was not a very serious man. He was whimsical, and often did crazy things before anyone could object. It was quite interesting - your father was a very on-the-fly battler, and your mother was more like Kamil in terms of making tactical decisions. The two made a great team because they didn't just tolerate each other's tactics, they utilized the synergy between them." The Arcanine set her massive hand on Inari's relatively tiny shoulders. "That goes for you and Galiana too - you two have different goals, but they don't have to be against each other.

"Inari!"

With that sudden cry of her name, Inari suddenly found herself hugged from behind by a sobbing Celebi. "I'm sorry about running off like-"

"No," she said with a surprisingly steadfast strength. "It's my fault for always being so stubborn - for not realizing how hard it was for you to watch." She smiles. "You're such a bleeding heart. That's why I love you so goddamned much."

Before the Celebi could respond, Inari grabbed her by the shoulders and smooched her right then and there. Possibly the longest 10 seconds in either of their lives. Not that it mattered to them - time seemed to stand still - there was no future to worry about, no burden of past to drag them down. There was only this everlasting point of the present that they would carve into their memories.

As if to defy the tranquility, Auntie Betty hollered, "Lovebirds, save it for your room!"

For once, Inari didn't care. She just kept enlaced and intertwined with Galiana. Training didn't matter. The event didn't matter. The peak of the league didn't matter. Only Galiana and Inari.


End file.
